Requiem
Henry Jane Fulton (b. October 2, 1960, d. February 14, 1989), '''known professionally as '''Requiem, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. They are best known for as the lead songwriter and frontperson for the rock band The Last Boys. They are referred to by Gathered Moss Rock Magazine as "one of the greatest missing pieces of hard rock history." This is in light of their nearly immediate fading away in culture recognition following a strong and successful near-decade of music. Despite their obvious influence towards other bands and musicians that followed, they are all but categorically ignored from Top 10 lists, retrospectives, and think-pieces beyond Requiem's untimely passing. Early Years Fulton was born in New England in 1960, and diagnosed with a blood condition most closely related to the Gilbert's Syndrome, wherein the liver does not properly process bilirubin. This led to Requiem's yellowish color to the whites of their eyes, and general feeling tired, occasional weakness, and abdominal pain. However, unlike Gilbert's Syndrome, these symptoms were violently more severe, and led to Fulton going through multiple medications as a child. Fulton began writing songs at the age of 13, and would meet their future bandmates between the years 1975 and 1979. It is noted an article by Charley Villaquez that they were likely aromantic or asexual, however had a sexual relationship with bandmember Kurtis Mock, the band's lead guitarist, and potentially with others in the band, however it was noted by Mock that said activities were "under the influence," or "for work." Further explanation on that was declined by Mock. Time with The Lost Boys Using the name Requiem hereafter, Fulton stayed at The Gilman hotel in 1982, recording their demos in one of the extended suites of the building, #701, and recording various instruments and vocals in hallways, elevators, and stairwells of the space. It is believed much of the ambient noise that is throughout was recorded directly in places of the hotel and much of it was used it consequent releases. The demo was remastered from the original tapes made at the hotel for the final album Rage in Favor. These songs included singles "Die Die Die Darling," "Spit Dust," "Castle of Fangs," and material for "The Hunger Within" EP. The second album, The Murder & the Mayhem (1985), was written nearly in totality at The Gilman, where Requiem had an open invitation to stay. It is largely believed Requiem would record their vocals in the basement after hours so they could be as loud as they needed to be. The basement, with a reinforced ceiling, prevented the noise from bothering any prospective guests. This album spawned the #1 hit "Voice Inside the Wall," which is largely believed to be an imaginary meeting of The Gilman's notorious "ghost girl" Denise Schonheit. Reviewers of the album suspected the song was in fact inspired by the Edgar Corbin story from 1982, which also included references to the young Schonheit girl, but Requiem angrily denied the song had any connection to the Corbin murders, that they had actually met Denise, and the song was in a way co-written with her. Curiously, Edgar Corbin shared the hotel with Requiem while Rage in Favor was being written and recorded. Other songs known to be directly influenced by the hotel include "The Screaming," "Black and Blue," and "Down the Hall," also from The Murder & the Mayhem sessions, however enthusiasts have claimed the album itself is a concept record about the hotel, where the first album was merely inspired by the location, and the third album was a direct goodbye to it. Critics noted the relative lightness in the first records compared the stories of desolation, abandonment, and fear in the final album, 1988's Hell If I Know. Decline and Death Odd behavior began Requiem in 1985 after the album tour, and continued for the remaining years of their life. Band membership shake-ups, rewrites, and an entire album shelved, Requiem was even arrested for assault on their newly minted record label president. Requiem withdrew into seclusion, preferring to write and record privately and send the vocals and melodies to their bandmates While the hotel received renovations in 1986, Requiem continued to stay at the venue, making time for incoherent and disconcerting public appearances including a famous one where they declared themself not only free of their blood disease, but in fact a vampire, granted mystical powers and reserved a kingdom in the afterlife. In a Buzzfind article, this rant and behavior was compared to infamous appearances made by Charlie Sheen, James Brown, and Crispin Glover. After cancelling the spring tour two months after announcing it, and without discussing it with their bandmates, Requiem effectively retired live on stage on December 22, 1988. The band would announce they were not included in this discussion, and would pursue legal action against Requiem. Requiem was found in room #604 of The Gilman on February 15, 1989 of heart failure following an apparent overdose. Requiem, who famously never used drugs, was cremated before toxicology tests could be re-administered, following outcry from fans and the band who dismissed the report of overdose. The whereabouts of those ashes are unknown. Despite the salaciousness of the death, Requiem's passing was a mere blip in the news, and most bizarrely, while their album and lead single both hit #1 on their respective charts, the final posthumously released single, released a mere week after Requiem's death barely cracked, hitting #89 and fading into obscurity. A minor resurgence in 1992 with a greatest hits package notwithstanding, it would take until the 2000s for Requiem and the Last Boys to resurface in press, largely due to the Gilman's official rebranding as a Historical Haunted Landmark. On December 12, 2017, a special edition of the greatest hits exclusively via the German website Hungersnot. As of now, due to a legal injunction with the now-defunct bioLumina Records, it is unclear who owns the masters or the rights to the Last Boys music, and none of their work is available on streaming platforms in the US, and all hard copies are long out of print.